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Even though the game seems to repeat itself. But after a while you just go with the flow.

Ratchet & Clank: A Crack In Time is in 7th game in the Ratchet & Clank series, which have all been a fantasy third-person shooter set in another universe, concludes the future trilogy, these included Ratchet & Clank: Tools Of Destruction and Quest For Booty. The game follows on from Quest For Booty in which Ratchet was trying to find out where Clank had been taken and by what. In the sequel, Ratchet is now trying to find out how to gain access to The Great Clock where he has discovered where Clank is being held. The game follows him and his not so helpful side-kick Captain Qwark through the Breegus System, in which they hear of an 'exile' named General Azimuth, another Lombax. Together they go on an epic quest to search for Clank and The Great Clock to bring the Lombax race back.

On the other-side of the system Clank is being held captive by Dr. Nefarious, the villain from the third game, in The Great Clock. He eventually escapes with the help of the Zoni, a mysterious race of telekinetic creatures discovered in the previous two games, has to learn to become the care-taker of The Great Clock, following in his creator's footsteps, Orvus.

Ratchet & Clank sticks to it's roots with outrageous weaponry, in addition to the traditional levelling system of the weapons a new type of weapon has been introduced, Constructo Weapons, these come in the form of 3 main categories; the pistol, the shotgun and the bomb glove, these new constructo weapons can be altered by finding different mods, unique to each gun, that can be used to change how the weapon damages, how it looks among other modifications. After you've completed the game, if you have upgraded a weapon to the maximum, level 5, you have the option to buy an improved version of that weapon, an omega version, it lets you upgrade it an additional 5 levels, to level 10.

Clank also has some new features in this game. Whereas in previous Ratchet & Clank titles Clank would usually only get 2 or 3 small bits throughout the game, in this title he has his own little story, set in The Great Clock. With the help of his Chronosceptor is gives him the power to repair broken objects, which is the opposite of what you usually do with Ratchet, slow down time, virtually to a stand still in some cases and to complete puzzles in which you make multiple copies of yourself to open the door on the other side room, these get trickier the further on through the game you get. A while after you play as Clank you gain the ability to repair time warps in planets through-out the system by playing a mini-game these are compulsory to get through to the end of the stage.

In this title you are able to travel to different galaxies, planets and moons while controlling your spaceship, Aphellion. Most of the side-missions you come across on Ratchet & Clank: A Crack In Time will be in space or in moons. Occasionally there are compulsory missions you have to complete in space, for example at one point you have to defeat an enemies boss space vessel. You can also upgrade your spaceship by collecting Zoni that upgrade your ships weapons, thrusters, abilities etc.

There is a lot of bonus stuff to do through-out the game, you can try to collect all the gold bolts that give you access to different skins for Ratchet to play as through the game and if you attain all 40 you unlock the Dr. Nefarious skin and a special feature in the game. Also, there are 40 Zoni to collect, not only do they upgrade your ship in a variety of ways, but if you collect all 40 of them you gain access to a special boss battle at the end of the game. And there are also the mods for your Constructo weapons, these don't unlock any special features such, just give you access to your Constructo's weapons full potential and make it your own.

There is a lot of replay value in the game as once you defeat the final boss you have one of two options, either go back just before you face the final boss or replay the entire game in challenge mode in which you start with the same weapons, your weapons level and the same amount of bolts. But challenge mode also unlocks some new features; you gain a bolt multiplier which increases the yield of the bolts you collect, you can increase it as you defeat enemies with out getting injured, it unlocks the ability to buy Omega weapons which are basically improved versions of the weapon (you can only buy them if that current weapon is level 5) and increases the maximum level of the weapon to level 10.

The graphics in the Ratchet & Clank series has vastly improved since the first game and even the previous game. The worlds look stunning in glorious HD, (I am sure it looks very nice is standard definition as well, I just haven't experienced it yet) everything has a special feel to it and mixes very well with the game, for me the water is the nicest feature graphic wise in the game it is beautiful. The game will take about 5-10 hours to complete if you are doing it linearly and with just one play-through, but if you try to complete all the side mission and extras it increases to be about 15-20 hours. The control scheme is standard for a shooter and beginners to the genre or series should pick them up with in an hour or so, if that.

This game has got to be one of my all-time favourite Ratchet & Clank's it has still stuck to it's moto "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." This is what has kept the game series going as long as it has, it's consistently improving over the original. Something else Ubisoft have kept with this game is the serious yet still humourous attitude that the characters have between each other. Even though the game might appear childish it has kept me entertained for hours through-out my teens and probably beyond. You can get this game for less than £20 and I advise you to get it if you enjoy the type of game genre or you are a fan and have not yet got this game for some ridiculous, absurd reason. GET IT!

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A top platformer and great addition to the series

Ratchet and Clank : Crack in time carries directly over from the previous title Tools of destruction ( Feel free to check out my review ) and its add on Quest for booty. Released in 2009 it keeps the platform and shooting gameplay aspect with a simple puzzle element for a bit of variety.

As was the end of the last game, Clank has been captured and taken away by Dr Nefarious and Ratchet sets out to try and find him. Of course this all part of a much bigger scheme for Nefarious and so many challanges , twists and turns await Ratchet as he tries to save his freind but also finds out about where the duo have come from, as well as where they are going in the future. The story runs along at a nice enough pace for a Ratchet and Clank game, it is one of the more emotional stories in the series as the question sorounding the game is wether the duo are meant to be toghether or wether this is where their paths split. It is intresting and engaging right to the end and probably my favorite storyline of the series.

Ratchet has a new gadget to accompany his wrench, new hoverboots allow you to fly about the level and give you more freedom to explore. However while these do let you travel higher and are more exciting, you can still expect to be hitting the invisible walls. Ratchet can also set off in his ship to investigate moons and other planets, but these planets often are just for collecting or small challenges which add little to the game except a gimmick. Clank has the less exciting ability to stop time, via his Chronosceptor. This can also be used as a melee weapon in the same way has Ratchet's wrench from previous games. In addition to this Clank can use "time pads", these are a weird bit of equipment and resemble the holographic images in star wars. What time pads allow Clank to do is record upto a minute of movement and then the holograph repeatedly plays out that action, letting you do somethings else. This is used quite a bit in puzzles and I struggled to get my head around it at first as it isn't a simple system, upto 4 can be on the go at the same time and its hard to keep track of what the individual one is doing. The usual array of weapons and upgrading remains with you now being able to upgrade the handeld weapons as well as Ratchets ship, although you never get into much combat to make it worth upgrading the ship. In terms of handheld weapons you now have "Constructo weapons" in 3 areas, pistol, shotgun and bomb. These weapons can be built up and modified in numerous ways and offers a more individual experience when playing through, some of the designs and styles you can make are really cool and make you want to change the weapn around to see what other looks it has. New weapons to the series include spikes which can be thrown on the ground to electrocute close by enemies, a shockwave weapon where an alien screams out and breaks anything within range. Finally there is the dynamo of doom which makes use of the sixasis, it's a big ball of energy which you guide around the level and is suitably menacing for clearing big groups.

As you travel through the game you are shown well designed levels in a multitude of areas such as , deserts, jungles, canyons, mines and futuristic citys to name a few. This gives a grand sense of scale to the game and feels as though you are going on a big journey across the universe, you actually get to travel to the great clock at one point, which is situated right at the centre of the universe. Birds flying and plants blowing in the wind give a sense of realism and environment and lets you feel like you are part of something bigger than just your own story.

The combat is as smooth and exciting as the previous titles and keeps the same destroy and collect mechanics, you do find yourself battling only a handful of enemies throughout the game and as you notice this more and more it's a little annoying.

The contols are easy to pick up and get used to meaning it is fun for any ages to get involved, all the usual button combinations are in this like R1 to shoot and X to jump. The responce is really good and things happen almost instantly, whats more is the games camera manages to hold the 3rd person perspective well and doesn't continually lead you off edges.

The game has a nice polish over the whole design, it's all bright and textured with vibrant colours. The character designs are the same but the environments are re-worked and looking better than ever. Cut-scenes are funny as well as informative, with my favorite use being when you get a new weapon. Unboxing it gives you a video from the makers , Grummelnet, and these are hilarious as it mixes wit and information about how to use it.

The same voice actors are in this game so it has a good continuity from the previous titles, one thing I would of liked was more of a soundtrack, as it meant the game lacked a little added atmosphere at times. The combat and noise of weapons is clear and exciting, drawing you into the game as the fighting becomes more ferocious. Explosions are suitably loud and feel as though they have an impact, the noise of jets flying overhead isn't too shabby either.

The game can be bought on Amazon for £15 and this is a cheap price for such a good platformer, theres a good 30-40 hours available for collecting everything and seeing all their is to offer.

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Fun enjoyable game

Bought this game recently when it was new out on 30 quid, reasonable ps3 priced game, so why not me have a go. I am glad I bought it now always hooked on to it playing it very freely if you know what I mean. It is universal, though some bits can get tricky. Not exactly sure where it is all set out, though it is somewhere is some made up fiction land. Characters are fun looking, and have that action look with them on the go. Ratchet is the main player of the game, and as usual in games there is some rescuing going on, and there he is off going to rescue his best friend clank in space I beleive. He has special abilities, to slow stuff down and stopping time, and that making easier to kill enemies and complete the level. Its a one player game which I dont mind, I dont see how it would be good multiplayer anyway. It has sixaxis motion sensitive as well as vibration function, with all these stuff it will really make you more into the game then ever. Overall a really great game at only £30. Recommended for sure.

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Amazing game

What a great end to the Ps3 Ratchet and Clank trilogy!

This game is 10 times better than the previous two games, (which were also great)!! To give you an idea, take ToD, and add in the ability to fly freely around the galaxy, add in better weapons, and add in a better storyline.

You are, of course, trying to save your companion Clank from the clutches of your rival Dr Nefarious. Soon you discover that Clank is a very important robot, and that Ratchet is not the only Lombax left.

The cut-scenes are as usual very funny, and I found the game longer than ToD. Also, if you have a save file from ToD, you get discounted weapons, and if you have one from QfB, you get a pirate costume!

To be honest, you should have them anyway because it's a bit pointless without playing at least ToD. The only fault that I see with this is the repetativeness of the missions in space, but apart from that, it is a really good game.

I would recommend this to all fans of the series, and all fans of adventure games, but i would recommend you play Tools of Destruction first. Check my review of that if you wish.